NCAA Basketball Recruiting: 2023 Live Event evaluations and takeaways

Isaiah Miranda –  7’0, 200 lbs – Southern California – Rhode Island Elite – Uncommitted

Miranda’s athleticism popped in warm-ups as he is a freak leaper with long arms, making some dunks look effortless. In-game though, the bankable skills were less evident. Miranda struggled against a sturdy MidPro Academy defense, not generating easy looks in the post against another division-one player, Owen Freeman. Miranda lacks strength at this stage, so he had a hard time dislodging Freeman for shots.

Miranda was a willing jump-shooter, but a low release point and inconsistent base caused issues. The confidence in his shot makes me think he can become a shooter in the long-run. Miranda needs to fill out his frame, but his height and leaping ability make him an intriguing long-term investment for the college level and maybe the NBA level.

Brock Harding – 6’0, 165 lbs – Moline High School (Illinois) – MidPro Academy – Iowa

I saw a ton of Harding this summer in both high school and AAU settings. While I’m usually reluctant to undersized guards at the Big Ten level, especially when not crazy athletic, Harding ultimately won me over. He plays with incredible pace and awareness when running an offense.

His handle is compact, and he rarely gets sped up when trying to get his offense into sets. He understands angles well, especially in ball-screens where he knows how to perfectly set them up and get his man into the screen. With his size, passing windows are minimized but Harding is terrific at hanging in the air and contorting his body to create angles, as well as manipulating defenders with his eyes.

Shooting was supposedly a concern, but overall Harding shot the ball well in my viewings and even showed some versatility off the move and dribble. The release point is definitely a little low, which combined with his height isn’t great, but I fully believe Harding as a shooter that defenders can’t go under on ball-screens.

Defense and finishing will always be an uphill battle at his size. He has room to grow physically, but his finesse style of finishing will be harder to replicate in the rugged Big Ten. There will be some early growing pains and Harding might not be super impactful from the jump, but his level of court awareness, craft, and work ethic make me think he can defy some odds and succeed in the Big Ten down the line. He might be the guy that opposing fanbases and coaches can’t stand to see on the other side of the court.